


We are Irrational

by BamItsTaeTae



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mental Institution, Horror, Mental Instability, Mentioned Lee Jooheon, Mentioned Lee Minhyuk, Mentioned Lim Changkyun | I.M, Mentioned Shin Hoseok | Wonho, Mentioned Son Hyunwoo | Shownu, Mind Games, Mind Manipulation, Psychological Horror, Psychological Torture, Science Fiction, Yoo Kihyun-centric, sort of not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 19:18:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16102100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BamItsTaeTae/pseuds/BamItsTaeTae
Summary: “Hello, Patient 163-9,” She stepped forward. “I am your Doctor.”“Oh, a new one.” The patient mumbled.“Yes, I-” The doctor was cut off by a sudden long beep.Immediately, her eyes flew to the monitor.Aggression: ----^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Hatred:  --^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^





	We are Irrational

“What is it you want, Patient 162-7?” The Doctor kept all emotion out of her voice.  

“I’m just tired… of being on the outside.” The man lifted his eyes slowly. “I want to be like everyone else: a good citizen.”

        The Doctor looked over at the monitor to her left, watching it more closely than she had the frail man sitting across from her.

 

 _Lying:_ _\--------------------_

_Aggression: --------------------_

_Hatred:  --------------------_

_Fear: --------------------_

_Sorrow: --------------------_

 

        She nodded slowly, pleased with the results. But the test was not yet over. Numbness was not the opposite of brokenness. She turned back to her patient, eyes cold and face displeased.

“You’ve failed the test again. And I’m afraid I can’t keep trying to fix what is hopeless.” She stood. “Our time together is over.”

      His eyes grew wide and his mouth opened, but no sound came out. Once again, she glanced at the screen.

 

_Fear: ---------------^^^^^_

 

        Tears lingered behind his eyes as he leaned back in his chair limply. A hopeless expression flitted across his face.

 

_Sorrow: ----------^^^^^^^^^^_

 

         The doctor’s expression broke, and for the first time, the man saw her smile. She picked up her things and turned to face him once more.

“You pass, congratulations.” She began to leave.

         Confusion crossed his face before her words fully processed in his mind. He stood up out of his chair, mouth open. She looked back at him, and for the first time, she saw joy on his face.

“Well done,” She stepped out of the little room. “Hyungwon.”

 

 

“Good evening, Doctor.” The brittle old man gave a shaky bow. “Thank you for being here.”

“The pleasure is all mine, sir,” The Doctor returned the bow with grace.

“I have heard much of your work,” The old man spoke as the two of them made their way down the dimly lit hall. “It’s incredible. You have rescued such dangerous creatures with ease. Putting them back into society like it’s nothing! I understand why they called you. This patient is far beyond anything I could handle.”

        She nodded along, not really listening to his rambling. This was it, the case that would finally put her in the history books. The world’s most dangerous would-be criminal. A level nine in every aspect. If he hadn’t been caught, who knows what he might have done. And she would fix him. As the old man’s rambling came to an end, so did the hallway. Two guards stood on either side of a large metal door. The old man spoke briefly to one of them and the door swung open.

“Just head right through.” He gestured forward.

“Thank you,” The Doctor bowed once more. “I’ll see you after the session is complete.”

       She stepped through the doorway and the door swung shut behind her. For a moment, she was caught in pitch black darkness. But red lights flicked on in an instant, whizzing about in every direction. The Doctor smiled. This really was quite the high security penitentiary, they even had in-depth identity screeners. Her entire being tingled for a moment as the whole world around her buzzed and flashed red. A soft ding was heard and the door in front of her swung open with a resounding groan. She stepped into the only slightly more illuminated room. The set up was nothing special. A single bed pressed against one wall. A toilet and sink in the corner. And in the center of the room, sitting at the only table on one of only two chairs, was the patient. A familiar screen sat on the side of the table nearest the door. It flicked on as soon as the Doctor entered. The patient looked up, eyes examining the Doctor with little intensity. His expression may have been cold, but everything else about his physique was less than intimidating.

“Hello, Patient 163-9,” She stepped forward. “I am your Doctor.”

“Oh, a new one.” The patient mumbled.

“Yes, I-” The doctor was cut off by a sudden long beep.

       Immediately, her eyes flew to the monitor.

 

_Aggression: ----^^^^^^^^^^^^^^_

_Hatred:  --^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^_

 

The Doctor couldn’t help but scoff. “Well, I suppose you aren’t called the worst criminal known for nothing.”

“Consider it a talent,” Despite his monitor, his expression remained the same as when the Doctor had come in.

       The Doctor sat down across from him, pulling out his folder and laying it on the table. She had skimmed through it before arriving, but she opened it as if it was her first time. She looked over it with scrutiny, humming wryly to herself every so often. Eventually she smacked the folder back down.

“What a disappointingly boring story you have for being such a dangerous person, Patient 163-9.” She said. “A seemingly normal child had a sudden outburst against a classmate. And when he was taken in for examination the monitor discovered his true being.”

         The patient shrugged. Another beep sounded from the screen. The Doctor rolled her eyes, not needing to look to know he’d spiked again. They were all so predictable. Even this one would present no challenge to her. Her average of three sessions would be more than enough to turn him.

“Is this it? Your routine?” He leaned forward, pushing his chest against the table enough to move it slightly. “Not gonna switch it up for the world’s worst criminal that’s never committed a crime?”

“Why should I?” The Doctor pushed the table back into position, subsequently forcing him upright. “You aren’t special, Patient 163-9. Let me guess, you think you don’t deserve to be here, right?”

“And you think I should?” He looked at the screen. “Because of that little machine? You think that gives you a window into my soul because it makes pretty beeps and dings? And you call yourself a psychologist…”

She scoffed. “That ‘little machine’ is the most advanced technology we have. And in my experience, it has _never_ been wrong. Do you know what it tells me about you? You’re a monster who can’t control his rage. The only thing you fear is the joy of others. You lie because you hate. And you have never once felt sorrow or compassion. That is what I think of you, Patient 163-9.”

“‘Never been wrong’?” He pursed his lips. “Are you saying it’s infallible, Doctor?”

“Yes, it is,” She said confidently.

        He gave a little hum, nodding his head slowly. The Doctor picked at her nails underneath the table. She watched him intently, eyebrows furrowed. Something was different about him. Perhaps, she wondered, she had been too quick to judge him. Perhaps this would require four sessions.

“Well, if we’re going to be seeing each other a lot more now, we can’t go on like this.” He chuckled a little. “You can’t keep calling me ‘Patient 163-9’ and I can’t keep calling you ‘Doctor’.”

“No, we very well can and will. You have no right to know my name and I already know yours.” She reopened the folder, staring down at the clearly printed words Yoo Kihyun.

“I don’t think that’s true,” He shrugged. “You definitely don’t know my name.”

“Are you going to try to lie to me?” She laughed. “How childish.”

“Childish, hm?” He smiled. “Well, I will still proceed, Doctor.”

“Do tell,” She leaned back.

“My name, my _only_ name,” He paused for a moment, titling his head in consideration. “Is Park Kihyun.”

      Her eyes darted to the screen for a moment and for a moment her heart stopped. That didn’t make sense.

 

_Lying: --------------------_

 

“Well?” He smirked. “Which do you trust more?” He gestured to the folder on the table. “Your documents?” He turned to the screen. “Or your infallible machine?”

       His eyes met hers once more. She didn’t break eye contact, but her eyes wavered slightly. She sighed and stood.

“Your name is irrelevant to me,” She said.

“Then just call me Park Kihyun,” He rested his chin on his palm.

She scoffed. “Our session is over for the day, Patient 163-9.” And with that, she left him alone again.

 

 

       Session six began with what many of its predecessors had been filled with: silence. The Doctor sighed. The patient had not spoken a single word to her since the first session. Although his monitor spiked and varied greatly, he remained quiet. None of her previous patients had been this resilient to her verbal prodding. Many had not given her the desired reaction, but she always received some kind of reaction. She decided it was time for the next step.  She would have come to this sooner had her own pride in her abilities not held her back. She pulled a small stack of folders out of her bag and placed them on the table with a thud. The patient didn’t even look up. She opened the first one.

“Patient 53-5. Case taken May 8th, solved May 13th. Notes: Psychical treatment used after patient refused to cease answering questions in other languages.” She looked up. “Four rounds of high level shock therapy and he was released back into society as Im Changkyun.”

         The patient’s eyes did not move from the table. She placed the folder aside and picked up the next one, opening it.

“Patient 108-5. Case taken November 30th, solved December 16th. Notes: Psychical treatment used after progress stagnated and patient did not comply.” She paused for a moment. “After several paralyzation treatments, he was released back into society as Lee Jooheon.”

       Silence still. The Doctor picked up the next folder.

“Patient 116-5. Case taken March 5th, solved March 12th. Notes: Psychical treatment used after patient got ahold of chemicals and attempted to poison the Doctor. Three injections of high level intensive hallucinogens and he was released back into society as Son Hyunwoo.” She finished and looked up at the patient.

       Beginning to get frustrated with the lack of responses, the Doctor skipped several folders.

“Patient 142-6. Case taken July 3rd, solved July 11th. Notes: Psychical treatment used after patient screamed and destroyed objects in the room. His tongue was surgically removed and replaced twelve times before he was released back into society as Lee Minhyuk.” She said, her aggravation slipping into her tone.

      Still the patient remained unmoved. Once again, she skipped several folders, pulling out one near the bottom and opening it.

“Patient 159-6. Case taken September 19th, solved September 27th. Notes: Psychical treatment used after patient refused to stop crying. After three sessions of dehydration and disturbing imagery showings, he was released back into society as Lee Hoseok.” She placed the folder in front of him. “He died three weeks after release due to self-inflicted wounds.”

       Slowly, the patient lifted his hand and closed the folder. The Doctor smiled. He was beginning to break. She pulled out the next to last folder.

“Patient 162-7. Case taken January 8th, solved January 18th. Notes: Psychical treatment used after patient attempted to strangle Doctor. After two days of solitude and oxygen and light deprivation, four thrashings, and three tests, he was released back into society as Chae Hyungwon.” Once again, she placed it in front of him before picking up the final folder. “Patient 163-9. Case taken January 23rd, unsolved. Notes: Psychical treatment may be required before patient can be released back into society as-”

       His head shot up, his eyes met hers. It was almost as if she could hear him asking a question in her very soul. For a moment she couldn’t speak. She forced her eyes back to the folder. But they drifted up to the screen.

“As Park Kihyun.” She finished confused by her own choice.

He smiled. “So, you trust your machine more then?” His smile dropped. “You can’t help me.”

          The Doctors hands were trembling. She stared at him. Finally, she understood his silence. He was waiting for her to make a decision. She felt breathless. Doubts of her ability to handle this case flooded her mind. His eyes met hers and he saw the hint beneath her eyes. He looked down at the folder lying in front of him. His eyes lingered on the pictures it held. The Doctor could have sworn she saw tears collect in his eyes. He looked up at the other folders, at last resting his eyes on the one the Doctor was clutching with white knuckles.

“Are you proud of this?” He asked. “Are you proud of how you ‘fixed’ them?”

“Y-yes,” She stuttered, still shaking. “They required my h-help. I only did what was necessary to t-take out the creature within them.”

        The monitor beeped loudly.

 

_Aggression: --^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^_

 

“That ‘creature’ is within every human.” He pushed the table forward to the point it pressed into The Doctors ribs. “They weren’t some special diseased group that needed your medicine. They were disgusting, horrible, cruel, perfectly normal humans. And don’t you dare think for one moment that you’re above them because your ‘most advanced technology’ tells you so.”

         A deafening alarm blared from the monitor.

 

_Aggression: ^^^^^^^^^^^^ !INTENT TO DO HARM DETECTED!_

_Hatred:  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^_

 

Tears slipped out of the Doctor’s eyes. “Our session is over pa-”

“There is no patient here,” He said, calmly. “Only me.”

“We’re done,” She stood. “Kihyun.”

 

 

        Fortresses are not conquered in a day. But their time together quickly approached a month, then two. Many of the words the doctor spoke even she knew to be a lie. Kihyun entangled her in every conversation, picking apart the web she had built around herself. The penitentiary became more and more restless. They were tired of having such a high-level danger at their facility. For years no one had fixed him. And now it seemed that even the prodigy of psychology could not rid them of him. The Doctor walked down the hall, fully aware of all of this. A sickening familiar old man waited before her, a bereaved expression on his face. He was as sick of seeing her as she was of him.

“Hello, Doctor,” He said.

“Sir,” She bowed slightly and began to step around him.

“Wait,” He stopped her. “The officials wanted me to inform you that this shall be your next to last visit. We cannot afford to continue paying you.”

“Sir, I am making progress, however slow, if you would just give me more time-” She begged.

“We have given you four times your average and we have seen little to no change.” The old man said callously. “The decision stands.”

“Y-yes, sir.” She bowed once more and stepped through the doorway.

       As the room buzzed and flashed with red light, the Doctor clutched her bag. She knew very well that she was their last resort. They couldn’t afford to keep such a high-level person forever. If he could not be fixed, he would be discarded. The government would care little about sentencing him to death for not yet committed crimes. For the first time in her career, the thought disturbed her. The door swung open and she forced herself to go through it. She didn’t want to face him.

“Hello,” He smiled at her as she entered. “Shall we begin again?”

         She didn’t answer or move for several moments. Time was running thin and adrenaline was flooding her veins. A solution had to be found within this session.

“This is our next to last session together,” She said, trying to let as little of the emotion she felt into her voice as possible.

        His expression changed in an instant. He knew what that meant as well as she did. The monitor beeped. And, for the first time, what it read matched what she saw on his face.

 

_Fear: --^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^_

 

“What do you plan to do about it?” He asked, voice shaking slightly.

“Do? What can I do?” She walked up to the table slowly. “The only one who can do anything is you, Kihyun.”

“Me?” He laughed and covered his eyes with one hand. “If I could do something to get myself out of here, I would have done so long ago. It doesn’t matter how sane I am, the monitor betrays me.”

“You just need to control your emotions.” The Doctor placed her hands on the table. “Don’t let them get the better of you.”

“I barely feel the emotions it claims I am exploding with!” He cried, removing his hand from his face. “This is a battle I cannot win!”

         The monitor beeped several times. The Doctor looked over at it. Somehow feeling wary of the information it showed her.

 

_Aggression: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^_

_Hatred:  -^^^^^^^^^^^^^^_

_Fear: --------^^^^^^^^^^^_

 

“Kihyun, what do you want from me?” She asked.

He stood and grabbed on to her shoulders. “Please help me escape. I would never hurt anyone. I promise you, I will _never_.” Her eyes drifted to the screen and he yanked her back. “No, don’t look at that, look at me. Really look at me and tell me what your soul thinks of me, not what a screen does.”

      She stared at him, examining his everything, every last detail that was Kihyun. The monitor beeped several times, but she didn’t look. She took his hands off her shoulders gently, not looking away from him.

“I believe you.” She said.

 

 

      If there was one thing the doctor had ever prided herself on, it was her ability to manipulate and not be manipulated. And yet, as she lay on the cold dirt of some forgotten road, a pair of hands wrapped around her throat, she couldn't help but wonder how she hadn't seen this coming. The same eyes that had made her heart flutter as they fled from the penitentiary, were now cold and lifeless. No longer did the smile that played at the edge of his lips thrill her. As Kihyun watched the light flicker from her eyes, sirens grew nearer. Perhaps this had always been her fate. She couldn't read people, after all. She could only read the monitor. And unlike the monitor, human beings are irrational. 


End file.
